TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 16 -- Two young members of the communist New People's Army (NPA) voluntarily surrendered to police units in Samar province in response to government calls for rebels to return to their families.

The Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO-8) reported that police units facilitated the voluntary surrender of two NPA fighters in Gandara, Samar on Sunday.

The surrenderers, identified by their aliases "Rambo," 21, and "Tano," 25, are both farmers and residents of Gandara town. They were former members of NPA Squad 3 under SRC-Emporium of the Eastern Visayas regional party committee and had previously operated in Matuguinao, Samar.

During the surrender, the two individuals turned in a .38-caliber pistol to authorit...